This invention relates generally to dispensing cartridges and, more specifically, to an interactive cartridge system having a plurality of dispensing cartridges for placement in a bulk feeder to enhance the delivery and enhance the control of the delivery of water treatment materials from the bulk feeder through establishment of serial flow from cartridge to cartridge within the bulk feeder.
One of the ways of ridding pools, spas or other bodies of water of harmful organism is to add a halogen such as chlorine or bromine to the body of water. Typically, the halogen may be added to the body of water through a bulk feeder. In the bulk feeder tablets or pucks of chlorine or bromine are placed in a chamber of the bulk feeder where the water flowing through the bulk feeder comes into contact with the halogen located therein. One of the disadvantages of the bulk feeders is that it is difficult to control the level of halogen that is dispersed into the body of water, which often results in over chlorination or over brominating of the body of water. While such bulk feeders are relatively inexpensive the cost of the overuse of chlorine and or bromine in the bulk feeders can quickly negate any benefits of the bulk feeder. To reduce the problem of over chlorination or bromination as well as improving the control of the level of chlorine or bromine in a body of water other types of feeders that separately dispense two different biocides may be used.
One prior art method and apparatus for controlling the harmful organisms in a body of water in a bulk feeder uses two non-fitted dispensers that deliver two different biocides through the establishment of random flow of water through each of the dispensers. Such a device is shown in King U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,935. In this device the two biocides are located in two separate dispensers that are placed in a free or non-fitted condition in the chamber of a bulk feeder. The two dispensers are allowed to move or tumble about in the chamber in response to the fluid flow through the chamber of the feeder, which enables the water in the chamber to come into contact with the biocides located therein. As the dispensers move about in the chamber of the feeder the biocides therein are released into the water passing through the chamber of the feeder. In such devices in addition to the control valve on the feeder, which limits the flow of water into the chamber, the dispensers include adjustable valves on each dispenser in order to better control the dispersant level of each of the biocides.
Another chemical feeder for dispensing two chemicals into a pool is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,656 where two compartments containing water treatment materials with a venturi housing to draw the water treatment materials out of each of the compartments and into the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,858 shows a dispensing apparatus where a pair of cylindrical containers containing water treatment materials are located in a coaxial condition. The containers are cantileverly mounted within a top chamber in a sand filter, which allows the water to flow through both of the containers before flowing through a bed of sand.
A method and apparatus for accurately delivering two biocides from a single chamber in an inline feeder is shown in King U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,527,952 and 6,190,547. In this device two nestable canisters are concentrically positioned in the chamber of an inline feeder with each of the nestable canisters having inlets and outlets that separate or bifurcate the flow of water into two separate streams with each of the two streams following separate but parallel flow paths through the biocides in their respective nestable canisters.
Since most feeders are integrally mounted in a circulation line of a body of water such as a pool or spa the conversion of a bulk feeder to a cartridge system that can accurately deliver two different biocides becomes costly since one may have to remove and replace the existing bulk feeder with a feeder that provides parallel flow paths through the dispensers therein. In other cases where the dispensers are free to move about the chamber of the feeder the task of control of the delivery rate of the biocides from the separate dispensers becomes more delicate since in addition to adjusting the setting of the control valve of the bulk feeder the valve of one or both of the dispensers may need to be adjusted periodically to control the flow of water through the dispensers and hence the level of biocide that is delivered to the body of water. Thus, a need exists for a cartridge system that can be used in prior art bulk feeders to alleviate problems of over halogenation as well as provide a system that can precisely deliver two or more water treatment materials to the body of water, which for example may be a pool, a spa or the like although the cartridge system may be used with any body of water which requires delivery of water treatment materials thereto.
In contrast to the prior art, the invention described herein allows one to provide enhanced dispersant control using the existing valve controls and without modifications thereof.